Happy Belated B-day

My middle brother Blaine was born on my PapPaw's (my dad's father) birthday - February 21st. Throughout the years they would share a birthday party together. Their meal of choice would be the traditional birthday family meal and would always end with the favorite family birthday cake. I want to wish them both a belated Happy Birthday!


I love the memories that the picture above brings back. As children, Blaine and I (in the picture he's almost 2 and I am 4) would help my grandma (along with my mom) decorate her home for Christmas.

As children, I remember Blaine and Bruce playing insurance agents (his name was always Joe Hill) and pretending to fix their little red car. Blaine loved to ride on the tractor in the fields and get dirty on the family farm. He has always enjoyed sports - whether playing or watching others play. He has never met a stranger and has always been good relating to anyone, from babies to the elderly. Once my dad went into the ministry Blaine always enjoyed going to funerals - as a kid I thought it was wierd but now I realize that he enjoyed helping and comforting people in their time of grief. He has always been Bruce's and my biggest cheerleader. When Bruce had a band, Blaine became the bands manager and when Bruce played football he never missed a game. When Jeremy and I moved (many times) early in our marriage he was always there to move us and when I was going through a horrible time in my life he was right there praying for me, encouraging me and taking care of me.

Through all of these things God was growing him to give his life to full time ministry. Over the past 10 years Blaine has been a youth minister - being an example, mentor and encourager of teenagers. He is also a loving husband to Lesli, a great father to his boys and a fun uncle to his 5 nephews and 1 niece. Thank you Blaine for all your love and support!

(Photo Pap Paw with my oldest in 2003)

As a child, my parents would take me camping with my Nan Naw and Pap Paw. They had a pop up camper that I thought was so fun to sleep in. I remember as I got older my Pap Paw would pop the camper up in their side yard so we could camp out in their yard. I thought that was so cool. When my dad was in Seminary and in the early years of our ministry, they would come visit us often. They would come with hands full of loaded grocery bags and just spend time with us for days. We always enjoyed their long visits. When I learned to drive he showed me how to check my tire pressure and change a tire. Then a couple of years later, before I left for college, he popped the hood on my car and made sure I knew how to check my oil and all of the other important fluids on my car. Both summers that I worked at Glorieta they would come out to visit me. Thank you Pap Paw for always making sure we were okay and for loving me.

I hope you both had a wonderful birthday! I love you both!